The invention relates to an apparatus and method for transferring articles into and out of cases using continuous motion, and particularly, where the continuous motion is basically circular and at higher transfer speeds with a small footprint.
In the art of case packing, large numbers of articles must be grouped and packaged rapidly by an apparatus that will function dependably without damage to the articles processed. When unpacking articles from cases, the articles are already grouped in a pattern in the case reducing some of the problems of article pick up. Case packing apparatus has been generally categorized as either intermittent case packing or continuous case packing. In intermittent case packing the article flow and/or case flow is interrupted during article pick up and/or release. Most recently, attention has been directed to continuous case packing in order to increase production. However, the continuous case packing has brought increased problems with handling the processed articles without breakage, damage, or interruption.
In the continuous case packing apparatus, articles are grouped together in successive slugs at a pick up position. The slugs are typically picked up at the pick up position by article grippers carried by an orbital handling machine rotating about two vertical axes. The slugs are transferred to a case loading position where the grippers release the slug of articles into a case. The articles can be released either simultaneously or sequentially as the case is conveyed beneath the slug of articles. Apparatus of this type may be either of the xe2x80x9cdrop packerxe2x80x9d type or xe2x80x9cplacement packer type.xe2x80x9d In the drop packer type, the articles are allowed to drop at least a small distance into the case after release. In the placement packer type, the drop, if any, is minimal and the articles are essentially placed gently onto the bottom of the case.
Continuous motion machines rotating about a single horizontal axis are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,375,395, 5,257,888, and 5,313,764 using articulating arms and pickup heads. A set of article grippers is carried on the ends of the articulating arms. However, during the angular descent from the pick up position to the case packing position, both horizontal and vertical accelerations are typically encountered by the articles which are gripped only at their tops or necks. Intermittent circular machines rotating about a single vertical axis are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,780,492 and 2,807,125.
Various other case packers, generally of the continuous motion type, using a vertical orbital conveyor are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,212,930; 4,541,524; and 4,294,057. The first patent shows depositing the articles sequentially and individually, rather than as a group or slug, into partitioned cases without positively gripping the articles. The latter two patents use gripper devices to grip and place the articles. U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,121 discloses a continuous motion bottle packer wherein a plurality of grids are mounted individually on spokes of a vertical wheel so that each grid moves through an article in feed position where groups of articles are fed into the grid without interrupting the forward speed. Angular and horizontal accelerations of the articles and their contents are encountered due to the rotary wheel motion during the transfer which may be detrimental to the article and/or contents.
Continuous case packers are also known in which a horizontal rotary carousel is used to move vertically reciprocating gripper sets in a horizontal plane about two vertical axes. The reciprocating gripper sets pick up a slug of articles at one position and transfer the slug of articles to a second position where the gripper set is lowered to deposit the articles into a case. Typically the pickup and release stations are on opposite sides of the carousel, requiring parallel conveyors on each side. However, the disposition of the rotary carousel in a horizontal plane requires an inconvenient floor layout, which also occupies a large amount of floor space. The parallel conveyor arrangements needed for the in feed and out feed of articles adds to the floor space problem. The path of the gripper sets between the slug pick up position and the case packing position is also typically curved producing angular and acceleration forces on the articles. The curved article transfer path intersects the path of the conveyed case only for a brief interval making timing a factor. In various of the rotary carousel types, it is known to deposit the articles by lowering the articles, already gripped by the gripper set, through resilient fingers that guide the articles into partitioned cases.
Case packers, generally of the intermittent type, are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,553,932 and 3,505,787 which also disclose using combinations of a lifting head having suction cups and bottle grids having pockets for picking up containers and depositing them into cases. The containers and the cases are conveyed on parallel conveyors rather than in-line conveyors, and the transfer from the pick up position to the case loading position is lateral, or transverse, to the flow of containers and cases. U.S. Pat. No. 2,277,688 discloses another case packer using an arrangement of a gripper set and a bottle guide set to package the containers into a case. These type of case packers are generally non-continuous as compared to the continuous motion in-line transfer case packers described above where neither the flow of articles nor the flow of the cases is interrupted during operation of the packer.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide an improved continuous case packing and depacking apparatus having a characteristic circular motion.
Another object of the invention is to provide a continuous motion apparatus and method which moves in a circular motion to provide high speeds of operation.
Another object of the invention is to provide a continuous, circular motion case packing or depacking apparatus and method which rotates about a single axis to provide a small footprint and high speed operation.
Another object of the invention is to provide a continuous, circular motion case packing apparatus and method in which slugs or groups of articles are picked up and transferred to a release station where the motion of the pickup heads is converted to a substantially straight-line motion along a pick up section during which time the articles are picked up.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a continuous, circular motion case packing or depacking apparatus and method wherein the articles are either picked up or released over a circular plate disposed below the path of the pickup heads and rotating about the same axis.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a continuous motion apparatus and method in which a revolving turret moves a plurality of transfer arms and a transfer plate in a circular path about a single vertical axis as reciprocating article pickup heads and grid heads, carried by the transfer arms, pick up and release the articles wherein either the pick up or release occurs over a circular plate disposed below the pickup heads moving in a circular motion for high speed, reliable operation.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a packing apparatus with a continuous motion circular plate which moves through a case pick up position, an article pick up position, an article deposit position and a case removal position.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a continuous motion packing apparatus which includes a plurality of conveyor belts separated by a rotating plate.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a continuous motion apparatus and method in which a revolving plate moves successive filled cases onto a sealing section where each case is closed and sealed.
Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a continuous operation of packing articles into cases, removing the packed cases onto a closure section where the case flaps are moved into sealed positions.
The invention is directed to a packer which includes a delivery for moving articles into a pick up position and a take-away for removing cases filled with the articles. A plate is located between the delivery and the take-away and is arranged to rotate about a single axis. The plate is operative to move sequentially the cases into a deposit or release position for receiving the article from the pick up position and to move the cases to the take-away. A rotating tower which carries the plate is supported by a frame member.
Pickup and grid heads are carried by the tower for movement about the axis and for relative vertical movement. A cam is carried by the frame and is operative to control pickup and grid heads through their relative vertical movements.
A third delivery is provided for moving the case to a dispensing position. The third delivery includes a rotating belt and a dispenser. The belt is operative to move the cases to the dispensing position where they are held and released in timed sequence onto the rotating plate. A plurality of radially spaced pins secured with the upper surface of the plate engage and circumferentially locate the cases on the plate. The tower includes a support frame which acts to support the plate. An adjusting member which is carried by the tower is provided for adjusting the plate circumferentially relative to the support frame and pickup and grid heads. Preferably the adjusting member is a rack and pinion arrangement.
Arcuate inner and outer guide rails are positioned above and adjacent the edges of the plate. The guide rails are operative to engage and individually position each case radially on the plate during movement toward and through the deposit position. The guide rails are adjustably mounted with the frame. Adjustment of the guide rails allows the apparatus to accommodate different case sizes.
An apparatus for transferring articles which includes a frame which supports a tower for rotation about a single axis. The tower carries a plurality of paired grid and pickup heads for vertical and rotational movement between a pick up and a release or deposit position. A circular plate is carried by the tower for movement about the tower and through the deposit position.
A first conveyor is provided for moving articles into a pick up position adjacent the plate in the form of article slugs. A second conveyor is provided for moving the cases sequentially onto the plate.
The paired grid and pickup heads are controlled to move onto and to the pick up of a slug of the articles when moving through the pick up position to then move to the deposit position to deposit the slug of articles into a case when both the case and the pickup and guide grids are moving through the deposit or release position.
A third conveyor is provided to receive and remove the filled cases away from the plate.
A plurality of positioning pins carried by the plate in spaced circumferential positions and radially spaced from the axis. The pins are adapted to circumferentially position the cases during movement on the plate. An adjusting member is provided for circumferentially adjusting the positioning pins relative to the pickup and grid heads.
Inner and outer guide rails are provided and are carried by the frame in radially spaced positions above the plate. Adjustable mounting members secure the guide rails in radially adjustable positions.
A packer apparatus comprising a frame carrying a rotating plate which is adapted to receive successive cases. Each of the cases includes front, rear and side flaps which are in folded position adjacent vertical sides of the case. The plate moves the cases through a deposit position and a removal position.
Pickup and grid heads which are carried by the frame are moved along vertical and circular paths between a lower position to deposit or release a slug of articles into each case as it passes through the deposit ore release position. The apparatus includes flap separators which are carried by the frame and are operative to move to separate and lift the flaps of the case during movement of the pickup and grid heads vertically away from the lower release position.
Positioning members are provided to fold down and hold the front and rear flaps from their lifted position as the filled cases are moved from the deposit position and into a take-away or removal position.
The separators are pivotally mounted with the grid head. A control mechanism which is carried by the pickup and grid heads is operative to locate each separator in selective positions relative to the vertical sides of the case during movement of the pickup and grid heads which allows the separators to first separate the flaps and secondly to elevate the front and rear flaps. The control mechanism comprises a cam carried by the pickup head and a spring carried by the grid head.
The positioning members include a positioning rail arranged adjacent the removal position which acts to fold said front flap down. The positioning members also include a rotating positioning disk which is operative to engage and fold down the rear flap as the carton moves through the removal position.
Case sealing apparatus is located over the removal conveyor adjacent the removal position. The sealing apparatus includes guide and support rails which are arranged adjacent the removal conveyor. The guide and support rails include a support zone and a positioning zone. The sealing apparatus also includes adhesive applicators which apply adhesive onto the side flaps as they are supported by the guide and support rails in the support zone. The guide and support rails are operative to elevate the side flaps of the case in the positioning zone. The case sealing apparatus includes side flaps depressing arms which engage the elevated side flaps leaving the positioning zone and urge them into a closed position. The case sealing apparatus also includes a press zone which is located over the removal conveyor adjacent the positioning zone, the sealing apparatus acts to press and hold down the side flaps in position against the front and rear flaps until the adhesive secures them in position. The sealing apparatus is preferably an, elongated flexible weight.
The invention further includes the method of moving pickup and grid heads in an article handling machine to include the steps of providing a pickup station and continuously moving articles into the pickup station; providing a circular plate and rotating the plate about an axis; rotating said pickup and grid heads in a circular path about the axis, through the pickup station and causing the pickup heads to also move in a generally straight line during rotational movement through the pickup station.